First off, Russo confirmed that the film will take many of its cues from Ed Brubaker's Winter Soldier storyline, in which the departed Bucky Barnes returns as a brainwashed Russian assassin. "I can say in general that there’s sort of a darker, edgier sensibility at work there that we found appealing," said Russo of Brubaker's influence, "and that is going find its way into Captain [ America ] in the modern day."

However, while much of Brubaker's tome is set in modern day America, there will still be plenty of wartime flashbacks to link the two films together. "We’re making the movie for first-time viewers, not just for fans," explains Russo, "so, because Cap does have this complicated history — he was this skinny guy who became a super-soldier, he was born back then and he’s living [ now ] — in the storytelling, you need to convey that to an audience who doesn’t know Cap’s story."

As for Steve Rogers himself, he'll also be further developed as a character in this second film. We saw a little more of the Cap's playful side in The Avengers , and Russo will attempt to demonstrate how the character has changed on the course of his journey.

"We’re trying to grow him as a character," says Russo, "and certainly he’s come a long way, from where he started in pre-World War 2 to where he is in modern day America. So the character has room for growth because of that huge journey that he’s been on."

Russo will be co-directing with his brother Joe, while Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan will be supporting Chris Evans on-screen. Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens in the US on 4 April 2014, with a UK release date to be confirmed.